He made it all sound simple, but it wasn’t. The whole idea of what she’d done and the changes in her life that came from it was almost too much to bear. She wouldn’t, though, keep whining about it. Regrets and indecisiveness would not be part of the new Nadie Morgan.
“So you’re telling me my overwhelming urge to ride you like a pony is because I’m a succubus?”
Jace blinked then threw his head back and laughed. “You can ride me any time you want. That image just then? Fucking amazing. I also want to point out that I think Dante and I had something to do with that urge.” He raised a brow. “You don’t want to ride anyone in general, just me and Dante, right?”
She scrunched up her nose. “Someone else? God no. I’ve always only wanted Dante.” She kissed his chin, at ease with his laughter. “And now you of course. That doesn’t mean I’m ready to act all wanton and fall into bed every hour of every day.”
“We don’t have to just make love in a bed.”
Jace’s face was so serious that Nadie broke out into laughter and leaned on him again.
“Why were you feeling that way, Nadie?” Jace asked. “I have a feeling that this didn’t come out of nowhere.”
She sighed, not wanting to get into her past, but knowing it was inevitable and needed. “I don’t want you to pity me for what I’m about to say.”
Jace frowned but nodded. “I will never pity you. Tell me.”
“I grew up knowing I had to be perfect, pure Nadie Morgan, or I would disappoint my parents. You see, my parents were far older when they had me than when they had my two sisters. My parents got married young and had Jessica and Heather, my sisters, right away. Jessica is only about fifteen months older than Heather while Heather is eighteen years older than me.”
Jace’s eyes widened. “Quite a gap for humans.”
She snorted at that but kept going. “My parents wanted two perfect children and ended up with girls who wanted to prove to their parents they could get away with anything they wanted. Now, I’m not saying that Heather and Jessica are completely in the right on this because God no, that’s not the case, but they had reasons for doing what they did.”
“What did they do?”
“My parents were—are—very strict. None of us were allowed to watch TV, eat sugar, have friends who were boys, or even go over to friends’ houses if they had brothers. Our parents wanted perfect, pure little girls. What they got were Heather and Jessica. Instead of explaining to the girls when they were teens what it meant to be safe, protected, and responsible, they preached that girls shouldn’t date boys and they should only have sex when they were married with the perfectly approved boy from a good family. So very puritanical but that is who my parents are.”
“I take it that Heather and Jessica didn’t respond well to that.”
Nadie shook her head. “Oh hell no. They both drank, smoked pot and cigarettes, and lost their virginities at fourteen or so.”
“Jesus.” Jace’s eyes widened, and she let out a breath.
“Heather got pregnant at sixteen and Jessica at seventeen. So you see, I have two nephews who are older than me.”
“I thought that only happened in paranormal realms where everyone is so long-lived that family trees get complicated.”
Nadie shook her head. “No, it happened to us. Mom and Dad threw the girls out one by one. They ended up living with the fathers of their babies. I don’t really know them. I was born in the aftermath.”
Jace pulled her into a hug, and she sighed. “I’ve seen them before and have tried to form a relationship because, though they made bad choices as teens, it wasn’t all their fault. They learned from their mistakes, at least somewhat. They finished high school, got jobs, and at least are trying to be adults. My parents though wiped the slate. They started over with me and were even more restrictive. There wasn’t an opportunity for me to even break free and rebel.” She kissed his chin. “At least until now.”
Jace growled. “Your parents put too much pressure on you. I’d like to meet them and talk some sense into them, but I think it would be a lost cause.”
She smiled at his tone. “It’s okay. I don’t talk with them much even though they still try to control me. By the time I was ready to rebel and do what I want, I’d met Dante, and I didn’t really want to find another man. Even though I didn’t know that we were mates at the time, I think, somewhere deep down, my mind wouldn’t let me think of another person while Dante was in my life. At least in my life in a sense that we were friends. Does that make sense?”
“Perfect, Nadie. You’re talking to a man who stayed celibate for way too long waiting to find you.”
Her eyes widened. “I didn’t even think about that! Oh, you poor bear and dragon.”
Jace grinned. “We can talk about how you can repay me later,” he teased.
She let out a breath and thought about what else they needed to talk about. “Tell me what it means to be a succubus. I don’t like being in the dark, and yet that’s how I’ve felt for far too long.”
He ran a hand up and down her back. “I will tell you what I know. As a Mediator, I know about many of the realms because I need to in order to avoid conflicts and wars. Each realm has its council and set of rules that makes everything very complicated. However, I’ve yet to be called to the succubus realm. They pretty much govern themselves and leave everyone else alone.”
Though she wanted to ask him about his experiences with the other realms, that would have to come later. “What do you know?”
“The succubi and incubi—those are the males of your species—live in a realm that is completely separated from the human realm but for a few small passageways. It’s much like the angelic or demonic realms where one must have an invitation or know of the existence of the passageway itself in order to gain entry.”
She moved so she could settle next to him, rather than remain on his lap. There was only so much a girl could take when it came to that jean-clad cock beneath her.
“The women tend to rule and have higher positions in the council, but I’m not a hundred percent sure on that. I believe Dante would know more about that. As for how all of that affects you? A succubus, as you can see, is marked with the brand of their house. I don’t know what house you are part of with your ink, but we can look it up. Each house is ranked accordingly, and they have an odd hierarchy that means there’s a lot of politics within the realm. That and the fact that their powers are so different than others makes them tend to stay away from outsiders.”
Her mind was roiling with all the information being thrown out at her, but she still hadn’t heard how her newfound powers would affect her—or what they even were.
Jace continued. “Each house carries a different ability, and each person has a different strength using that ability. I don’t know what yours is, but we can find it together once you get a good handle on what you need to survive.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Jace let out a breath. “Not all stories the humans know are false. Succubi need sex in order to live. They take energy from their partners during intercourse.”
She blinked and moved to stand. “I took your energy? Is that the power I felt? Oh God, are you okay?” None of the other women had hurt their mates, and yet Nadie’s powers were to suck away energy?
Jace pulled her close and cupped her cheek. “Hey, stop it. It didn’t hurt, Nadie. In fact, to others, it would have felt like one fucking amazing orgasm. To Dante and me, since we’re your mates, yeah, it was one fucking amazing orgasm, an orgasm to end all orgasms, but then we got our energy back. With the bond, we end up like a circuit, constantly sharing our life energies so that no one ends up weak and your inner succubus is healthy and sated.”
She swallowed hard. “Oh, thank God.”
“You never would have hurt someone. The succubi who grow up with their powers learn how to sleep with their partners and never take too much. If they sleep with another of their kind, the process acts much the
same way it did with us, but on a smaller scale than a mating bond. Because you have two mates, you will be one healthy, sexy succubus, Nadie.”
She grinned at the cat-in-cream look on his face. “And you get nothing out of that?”
Jace chuckled, his voice deep, rough. “We can talk about all the…perks when Dante gets home. He wouldn’t want to miss out on any of that.”
She warmed all over at the thought of both her men and the…perks it all entailed. Oh, she couldn’t wait to figure them all out, and from the look on Jace’s face, she wouldn’t be waiting for long.
Chapter Nine
Jace lowered his head, and Nadie cupped his face, the bristles of his scruff ticking her palms. His lips pressed against hers, and she moaned, loving the taste of this new man in her life. He wrapped his arms around her, his hands sliding down her back to cup her ass. She rocked against him, wanting him closer.
Something inside her heated, almost clawing at her, craving the man in front of her.
Nadie stepped back, gasping for breath. Jace moved toward her, and she looked up at him, the concern on his face making her want to hide under a table. She hated this feeling, the inability to control what she desired, unable to know if it was truly her who wanted this bear, this man, rather than the succubus that lived beneath her skin.
Jace cupped her face. “Hey, hey, what is it?”
She shook her head.
His thumb brushed along her lip, and she arched, wanting more. “Tell me.”
She swallowed hard. If she didn’t tell him, he’d just keep asking. She had a feeling Jace was just like his bear half. Once a bear wanted something, it pestered—or roared—until it got it.
“I just really like kissing you.”
Jace blinked and tilted his head. “And this is a bad thing because…”
Nadie grimaced. “Because I don’t know if it’s me who wants it or her.”
Jace took her hand and led her to the bar area off the corner of Dante’s living room. She found it funny the dragon who owned his own bar had a smaller version in his house, but that thought left her mind as Jace gripped her hips, lifting her so she sat in front of him on the bar.
“Is there a reason you just picked me up like a doll and set me where you wanted me?” she asked, teasing.
Jace moved so he crowded her, arms on either side of her hips, his face close to hers. “You’re a succubus, Nadie. You’re going to want to feed and be with us. That’s okay. You already said you weren’t ashamed of it.” She opened her mouth to speak, and he kissed her. She moaned into him then drew back, blinking. “Let me finish. Now, your succubus might want all of that, but your human half, the half that you’ve been all your life, wants it too. I’m not telling you what your body wants. I’m telling you that you don’t have to question it. You’re part of your succubus too. She’s not some invader controlling your body every hour of every day. So when you kiss me and wrap your arms around my neck, go with it. If you don’t want to kiss me and would rather hang out on the couch and watch movies, then we can do that. Just don’t second-guess yourself because you think it’s wrong to want what you want.”
Nadie smiled at the man she was just learning about and knew in her heart she was doing the right thing. Her mind might be a little behind, but it would catch up eventually. She pulled at his shirt, and he leaned forward, kissing her softly. Since she was at the right height to make it work, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer. He growled a bit, pulling back to nip at her lip.
“So tell me, Nadie Morgan, what is one thing that you’ve never done but truly want to do?” He licked his lips, and she had a feeling she knew exactly what topic his mind was on.
She thought to all the gifs, books, and other things that she’d seen and tried to come up with something perfect for just her and Jace and their first time alone. Her gaze went to the tequila beside her, and she grinned.
“How about body shots?”
Jace’s eyebrows rose before he grinned at her. Oh no, it wasn’t just a normal grin. It was one of those grins that made her heat up from the inside out and want to wiggle against him until they were both panting.
“You’ve never done body shots?” Jace asked.
She shook her head. “Never. There was this one time I almost went to a new bar with Faith to try it out, but we backed out at the last second since it was raining or something.”
Jace narrowed his eyes. “Good. I’ll be your first. And you’ll enjoy our bear shifter body shots. I promise.”
“Bear shifter body shots? Uh, I’m not going to actually have to lick up your body while you’re shifted, right? Not that I think you’d look horrible as a bear, because I’m sure you’re adorable, cuddly, and manly,” she added when his gaze narrowed, “manly and fierce, but licking up all that hair doesn’t sound tasty. Or hygienic.”
Jace threw his head back and laughed. “No, I’ll be in human form. Shirtless human form, my darling. I’ll make sure you’re just as naked as I am so we can lick up every drop of tequila. Every. Drop.”
She just about swallowed her tongue at the promise in his gaze and nodded.
He slowly pulled his shirt over his head. Nadie’s gaze latched to the thick, corded muscles of his arms and chest, swallowing hard. She wanted to trace each line with her tongue, learn every nuance of his body until she could close her eyes and know him.
When she lifted her head and saw the smile on his face, she had a feeling he knew where her thoughts had gone—not a bad thing at all.
“I love it when your eyes are on me…and when other parts are too,” Jace drawled.
She grinned and went to lift up her own shirt when Jace stopped her.
“No, let me,” he said before slowly, oh so slowly, stripping her of her shirt. He threw it over his head, his gaze never breaking from hers. His thumb brushed over her nipple through her bra, and she shuddered.
His mouth quirked in a grin before he undid the clasp of her bra and sliding it off her. “Lie back,” he said, his voice low.
She did, the coolness of the wooden bar top shocking against the heat of her skin. Without speaking, he twisted off the cap of the tequila—very top shelf knowing Dante—and took a swig.
She raised a brow. “Is that how you’re going to do shots, then?”
He grinned then kissed her, the liquid burn of the tequila mixing with his heady taste. She swallowed as he pulled away, the sting going down her throat, but she didn’t care. She was already heated up from the inside out and wanted Jace. Now.
Her bear licked her breasts, and she arched for him, pushing more of herself into his mouth. He bit down gently, and she moaned before he pulled away.
“Like raspberries, so red and juicy,” Jace whispered before sprinkling salt on her nipples. She laughed at the sensation, but didn’t move, loving the way he spoke to her, cared for her. “Now don’t move, darling.”
He poured a small amount of tequila in her belly button and she gasped at the cool sensation dancing on her skin but forced her back to the wood of the bar, not wanting to spill. A small drop of liquid trailed down her side, and Jace moved quickly, lapping it up with his tongue.
“Don’t want to make a mess,” he growled softly.
He put a slice of lime between her teeth after kissing her softly then grinned. She about came just then at the promise in that grin alone. Jace moved to her breasts, licking up the salt on each nipple, biting and sucking along the way. Her body craved him, begged her to move into him, but she forced herself to stay still so she wouldn’t spill any tequila. His tongue trailed down her stomach, and her pussy clenched, wanting Jace inside her.
Jace growled and sucked up the tequila, licking and running his cheek along her skin, the scratchiness of his beard sending shots of heat down her back and sides. Before she could beg him for more, he moved up and bit into the lime clenched between her teeth. Juice and some of the meat from the lime spilled down her chin, and Jace licked that up as well.
That h
ad been the singularly hottest thing that had ever happened to her.
Considering she’d just had a threesome with Dante and Jace—that was saying something.
Jace pulled her into his arms, and she sat up, wrapping her legs against his waist. He pulled back, breathing hard. “I was going to let you do a shot off me, but I don’t think my dick can handle that. I need to taste you.”
She swallowed hard and nodded. There would plenty of time for more body shots. He kissed her again, one hand fisted in her hair, crushing her to him, the other on her lower back, pulling her closer.
God, she’d never felt so taken, so wanted.
He wrenched his mouth from her then pulled her down so she was standing in front of him. His fingers shook as he undid her pants and stripped her down so she was in nothing but skin and so freaking ready for him.
“Gods, baby, you are so fucking hot.” He kissed her stomach then gripped her ass cheeks, spreading them, forcing her legs to move apart. He licked her clit with one firm swipe, and her legs gave out.
“Jace!”
He looked up at her, his eyes dark. Without a word, he picked her up and set her on the bar again. She gripped the edge of the wood, needing the support. Jace knelt before her, spread her thighs, and then buried his face in her pussy.
She cried out, his tongue piercing her before he licked up to her clit, twisting his tongue in such a way that she saw stars. When he speared her with two of his fingers, touching that bundle of nerves deep within her, she came against his face, screaming his name as she fought to keep consciousness.
Jace finally moved so he stood between her legs, his forehead pressed against hers with one hand on the back of her neck, keeping her steady. “You okay, baby?”
“I…I…”
She had thoughts and words and everything, yet they didn’t seem to be working quite yet.
Tangled Innocence Page 10